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Ocular implant helps Southport man see better

Robert Harris, seen Monday, August 19, 2013 at his Southport home, had surgery in Wilmington to correct macular degeneration. Macular degeneration patients from as far away as Charlotte and Winston-Salem are lining up for CentraSight, a new treatment program using the Implantable Miniature Telescope. Photo by Mike Spencer

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 5:19 p.m.

Robert Harris, seen Monday, August 19, 2013 at his Southport home, had surgery in Wilmington to correct macular degeneration. Macular degeneration patients from as far away as Charlotte and Winston-Salem are lining up for CentraSight, a new treatment program using the Implantable Miniature Telescope. Photo by Mike Spencer

"I used to hit a lot of ground behind the ball," said Harris, a Southport resident and retired baseball coach and school administrator.

He's less likely to tear up the turf since he had an implantable miniature telescope inserted in his right eye. Harris was the first patient in North Carolina to benefit from the new surgery.

The surgery was performed about four months ago at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center by Dr. Laura Harris, the only surgeon in North Carolina currently performing the operation. Dr. Harris expects to offer the surgery at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in the near future.

Mr. Harris, using powerful reading glasses under a bright light, read about the surgery in the StarNews about two years ago, around the time the FDA approved the procedure and the first patient received the implant in Tucson, Ariz.

At the time, Mr. Harris' vision was deteriorating but had not become debilitating. He had a dark, blurry spot in the center of his vision that he coped with as best he could.

His vision worsened, though. Mr. Harris had to sit with his face 2 feet away from a TV, yet the image it projected was still black and white to him. Reading on his Kindle was difficult. He could no longer drive.

His quality of life was severely affected by the eye disease.

So Mr. Harris asked Cape Fear Retina ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Brownlow about the surgery, and he began the process to see if he qualified for the surgery.

Not every patient with age-related macular degeneration is a candidate. Patients must have a specific type of macular degeneration, they must not have had cataract surgery in the target eye and their eye must meet size requirements since the telescope is bigger than the lens that is removed. In addition, the patient must be at least 75 years old.

Mr. Harris nailed that requirement. He also passed every other test along the way. After some tests, Dr. Brownlow referred him to Dr. Edward Paul, who ran more tests and then referred him to Dr. Harris. Drs. Paul and Harris both have offices at the Landfall Medical Center.

"We have a fairly high washout rate," Dr. Paul said. "(The qualifying procedure) has to be rigid so we pick the right candidates and we can ensure success."

Only five of the 25 candidates he has examined have been approved for the surgery.

Dr. Harris has performed two surgeries so far, and she has three scheduled for the near future.

She said that even though the surgery does not restore perfect vision, it is gratifying to make such an improvement in an area where, just three years ago, no help was available.

"I can offer a treatment for a disease that, up until now, had no treatment," Dr. Harris said.

The "treatment" is not to be confused with a "cure." In trials, the FDA found 75 percent of patients improved from "severe or profound impairment to moderate impairment." Even those who undergo successful operations will have issues with depth perception and will most likely not be able to drive.

Mr. Harris works weekly with an occupational therapist to train his telescopic eye (3x magnification) to work together with his peripheral eye. Four months after the surgery, he's still noticing improvement.

"It's never going to be like it was when you were healthy. It's never going to be 20/20. But you get it down to 20/50 or 20/40, you're OK," he said. "I see improvement every time she takes out stitches. Things get brighter to me and images come in. Even though they may be blurred, I can see them better."

The surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, takes about an hour and a half, and is covered by Medicare. Dr. Harris figures she'll increase her telescopic implant surgeries dramatically in the near future.

She and Dr. Paul also hold out some hope that the FDA will drop the minimum age requirement from 75. Canada's minimum age requirement for the same surgery is 55.

In the near future, though, they will keep trying to help patients such as Mr. Harris.

Mr. Harris said he strikes the golf ball more cleanly now. But with his imperfect vision, he needs a spotter to know where he hit it.

"I can stand up, and I can line the ball up, and I can get the iron or wood on the ball," Mr. Harris said. "I have to have a good partner tell me where it went. Did it go down the fairway? Did I slice it a little bit? Did I hook it a little bit? What did I do? But you know what – to be able to hit it is amazing."

<p>Robert Harris hits the golf ball better these days. Age-related macular degeneration never stopped him from pursuing his hobby, but it did affect his score.</p><p>"I used to hit a lot of ground behind the ball," said Harris, a Southport resident and retired baseball coach and school administrator. </p><p>He's less likely to tear up the turf since he had an implantable miniature telescope inserted in his right eye. Harris was the first patient in North Carolina to benefit from the new surgery. </p><p>The surgery was performed about four months ago at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center by Dr. Laura Harris, the only surgeon in North Carolina currently performing the operation. Dr. Harris expects to offer the surgery at <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9969"><b>New Hanover Regional Medical Center</b></a> in the near future.</p><p>Mr. Harris, using powerful reading glasses under a bright light, read about the surgery in the StarNews about two years ago, around the time the FDA approved the procedure and the first patient received the implant in Tucson, Ariz.</p><p>At the time, Mr. Harris' vision was deteriorating but had not become debilitating. He had a dark, blurry spot in the center of his vision that he coped with as best he could.</p><p>His vision worsened, though. Mr. Harris had to sit with his face 2 feet away from a TV, yet the image it projected was still black and white to him. Reading on his Kindle was difficult. He could no longer drive.</p><p>His quality of life was severely affected by the eye disease.</p><p>So Mr. Harris asked Cape Fear Retina ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Brownlow about the surgery, and he began the process to see if he qualified for the surgery.</p><p>Not every patient with age-related macular degeneration is a candidate. Patients must have a specific type of macular degeneration, they must not have had cataract surgery in the target eye and their eye must meet size requirements since the telescope is bigger than the lens that is removed. In addition, the patient must be at least 75 years old. </p><p>Mr. Harris nailed that requirement. He also passed every other test along the way. After some tests, Dr. Brownlow referred him to Dr. Edward Paul, who ran more tests and then referred him to Dr. Harris. Drs. Paul and Harris both have offices at the Landfall Medical Center.</p><p>"We have a fairly high washout rate," Dr. Paul said. "(The qualifying procedure) has to be rigid so we pick the right candidates and we can ensure success."</p><p>Only five of the 25 candidates he has examined have been approved for the surgery.</p><p>Dr. Harris has performed two surgeries so far, and she has three scheduled for the near future.</p><p>She said that even though the surgery does not restore perfect vision, it is gratifying to make such an improvement in an area where, just three years ago, no help was available. </p><p>"I can offer a treatment for a disease that, up until now, had no treatment," Dr. Harris said.</p><p>The "treatment" is not to be confused with a "cure." In trials, the FDA found 75 percent of patients improved from "severe or profound impairment to moderate impairment." Even those who undergo successful operations will have issues with depth perception and will most likely not be able to drive.</p><p>Mr. Harris works weekly with an occupational therapist to train his telescopic eye (3x magnification) to work together with his peripheral eye. Four months after the surgery, he's still noticing improvement.</p><p>"It's never going to be like it was when you were healthy. It's never going to be 20/20. But you get it down to 20/50 or 20/40, you're OK," he said. "I see improvement every time she takes out stitches. Things get brighter to me and images come in. Even though they may be blurred, I can see them better." </p><p>The surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, takes about an hour and a half, and is covered by Medicare. Dr. Harris figures she'll increase her telescopic implant surgeries dramatically in the near future.</p><p>She and Dr. Paul also hold out some hope that the FDA will drop the minimum age requirement from 75. Canada's minimum age requirement for the same surgery is 55.</p><p>In the near future, though, they will keep trying to help patients such as Mr. Harris. </p><p>Mr. Harris said he strikes the golf ball more cleanly now. But with his imperfect vision, he needs a spotter to know where he hit it.</p><p>"I can stand up, and I can line the ball up, and I can get the iron or wood on the ball," Mr. Harris said. "I have to have a good partner tell me where it went. Did it go down the fairway? Did I slice it a little bit? Did I hook it a little bit? What did I do? But you know what – to be able to hit it is amazing." </p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic87"><b>Mike Voorheis</b></a>: 343-2205</i></p>